Agenda item

35.1   The Chairman introduced this part of the meeting that would focus on Workforce Priority Reviews. It was stated that Board Members would receive a number of presentations and reports on workforce priorities on the themes of Making Every Contact Count, Adult Social Care Workforce, NHS workforce development, supporting Informal Carers and the Childcare Workforce.  Board Members were requested to ask questions at the end of the Workforce Priority Review session and discuss with particular emphasis on how the Health and Wellbeing Board could assist with workforce development across the spectrum. 

 

(a)    Making Every Contact Count

 

35.2   The Chairman introduced Dan Barritt, West Sussex County Council Programme Manager (Workplace Health and Emotional Wellbeing) who provided a presentation on Making Every Contact Count MECC (copy of the slides appended to the Agenda and available on the Website).  The presentation:

 

·         provided an overview of the West Sussex approach to MECC;

·         updated on the MECC activity that has taken place to date, the range of partners  worked with and the outcomes achieved;  and

·         highlighted system wide challenges and how the Board could assist with solutions to those challenges and the next steps.  

 

35.3   Board Members were informed that MECC was an approach that enabled individuals and organisations to develop a different way of working with people to promote and support health & wellbeing.  Board Members were informed that MECC is about learning how to spot opportunities to talk to people about their health & wellbeing.

 

It was noted that MECC enabled workforces to:

 

·         utilise a holistic, person-centred approach to service delivery.

·         deliver ‘very brief’ or ‘brief’ evidence-based interventions for lifestyle behaviour change focusing on the key elements of stopping smoking, drinking alcohol sensibly, increasing physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight and diet and promoting emotional health & wellbeing

·         know about local support services and how to signpost people to them where appropriate.

 

35.4  MECC related skills were noted as transferable and could be used within a workplace health context. It was stated that the pressures faced by Local Authority, health and social care and voluntary sector workforces were well known, and MECC offered a pragmatic solution to scaling up a transformational shift toward prevention as part of organisational culture change. MECC could equip workforces at all levels to be more confident in discussing lifestyle related issues with each other as well as the people they work with.  

 

35.5  The report’s recommendations requested that the Board:

 

1)   became or identified a strategic MECC Champion using  positions, relationships, visibility and influence to promote a MECC approach, engaging important leaders, and identifying operational MECC Champions to lead their own MECC implementation plans; and

2)   Identify key services, active leaders and operational Champions, to embed MECC within existing service delivery structures, pathways, and commissioning plans to mobilise MECC within  work areas.

 

35.6  Board Members were informed that Public Health West Sussex would support this by providing MECC resources, support with training Champions and support with developing and implementation plans. Tailored workshops and presentations could be delivered to senior leaders and managers to enhance the understanding of a MECC approach.

 

(b)    Adult Social Care Workforce

 

35.7  The Chairman introduced Allison Durieu, West Sussex County Council Recruitment Consultant and Sarah Saych, West Sussex County Council Commissioning Manager who presented information on the Adult Social Care Workforce.  (Report and Slides appended to the Agenda and available on the Website). An update on the Care Workforce project was provided in terms of priorities, activities, achievements and challenges based on the mission statement that it was essential that there was enough people of working age who want to develop a career in health and care.

 

35.8  The presentation highlighted the following key points. The WSCC Care Workforce Team had:

 

·         worked alongside stakeholders and care providers to review and enhance marketing and communication activity for job vacancies

·         promoted jobs in care as jobs/careers of choice with the aim to help close the recruitment gap

·         used a targeted approach engaging local communities

·         engaged with 5 care providers so far, offering bespoke support with their recruitment needs

·         hosted recruitment events allowing an opportunity for care providers to meet with potential candidates

·         helped candidates with their job search, applications and interviews

·         delivered various marketing campaigns alongside local recruitment events

·         attended careers events across the County in schools, colleges and University of Sussex

·         evaluated Job appointments to inform future approaches

·         promoted success stories

 

35.9  In conclusion the Board were referred to the report’s recommendations and asked to support the development of a new online resource, to be a one stop shop in West Sussex for care jobs, help promote the work WSCC are doing and offer support and networking opportunities into the NHS, especially in terms of a potential rotational apprenticeship.

 

35.10  The Chairman thanked Allison Durieu and Sarah Saych for their presentation and referred questions to the end of the Workforce Priority Review item.

 

 

(c)     Sustainability and Transformation - NHS Workforce Development

 

35.11  The Chairman introduced Allison Cannon, Chief Nurse, Sussex  Clinical Commissioning Groups, who provided an update on the existing clinical workforce issues across the Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability Transformational Partnership (STP) and highlight how the STP and West Sussex is improving clinical workforce recruitment and retention.(Report and Slides tabled at the meeting and available on the website).

 

35.12  In receiving the presentation Members noted the following key points:

 

• a Temporary Staffing Collaborative aimed to reduce both the use and cost of the temporary workforce across the patch and hence to improve the quality of care, drive down expenditure and enhance in-house bank arrangements. A project with this focus was underway
• one of the priorities was to retain to retain and recruit staff by making the NHS an attractive place to work.  Another priority was to attract and motivate younger people to join the NHS workforce
• another key area was to maximise collective resources ensuring the necessary leadership was in place so that staff could be developed and talent retained in the South East
• there was a Streamlining Project which ensured the smooth flow of staff around the system eliminating duplication of training, checks and processes which would, in turn, also result in financial efficiencies.  Supported by NHS Employers and informed by learning from similar projects in London, East of England and Midlands the focus was on Junior Dr’s rotation; statutory and mandatory training; recruitment and occupational health
• there was a focus on apprenticeships ensuring that the uptake of apprentices was achieved and identifying ways to maximise support for the recruitment of an ongoing pipeline of (younger) talent. 
• Education and Training ensured that all staff could access education programmes, training and development they need to deliver services in a new and sustainable way.  This included working with education providers to commission new courses and review methods of delivery.

 

35.13  It was noted that to date progress on the above initiatives had been varied and there was a move to bring this work more under the leadership of the Sussex and East Surrey STP with an absolute commitment to maintaining the close working relationships with colleagues from education, health and care providers and build on the current programmes of work.

 

35.14  Members of the Board were then asked to consider how the Health and Wellbeing Board could help to:

 

·         create awareness of the opportunities that a career in health and social care could offer local people; and

·         support and develop an inclusive and diverse workforce using local networks and working with the system partners, including the voluntary sector

 

35.15  The Chairman thanked Allison Cannon for her presentation and confirmed that the Board would give their considerations at the end of the Workforce Priority Review items.

 

 

(d)    Supporting Informal Carers

 

35.16  The West Sussex County Council Joint Commissioning Manager, Mark Greening, presented his report on Workforce, Family and Friend Carers (report and slides appended to the Agenda and available on the Website) and emphasised the importance of supporting unpaid carers who were a fundamental part of the system.

 

35.17  The key objectives and outcomes required from carer support were outlined as:

 

·         maintaining and developing resilience to enable carers to carry on caring;

·         improved health and wellbeing of the carer and, through enabling safe and better caring, improved health of the cared for;

·         improved independence for both carers and cared for; and

·         cost avoidance to health and social care economies

 

35.18  Members were informed that good progress was being made with carers and young carers being assessed and supported more than ever

before.   It was emphasised that in order to fully realise these strategic objectives carers must be identified in a timely way.  The presentation outlined the needs assessments of the young carers, carers of working age and older carers with the focus on making these carers everyone’s responsibility.

 

35.19 The report’s recommendation requested that:

 

• all service providers, including hospitals, put the local Carer Centre number on their headed paper; and
• as a matter of routine, consistently refer to ‘patients and carers’ and consider/measure the service experience of both.

 

35.20  The Chairman thanked the Joint Commissioning Manager, Mark Greening, for his informative presentation and reiterated that Board Member debate/discussion would be held at the conclusion of all the workforce presentations.

 

(e)    Children’s Social Care Workforce

 

35.21  The Director of Adults Services, Dave Sargeant, provided a presentation to the Board on the Recruitment and Retention in relation to the workforce in Children’s Social Care (report and Slides tabled at the meeting and available on the Website).

 

35.22  It was noted that there was a national shortage of Children’s Social Workers and there were  some specific challenges in West Sussex, which were being addressed. Board Members were informed that in 2017, the national vacancy rate was 17% with 68.7% of vacancies were being covered by agency staff.  The average working life for a social worker was under eight years which did not compare favourably to 25 years for a doctor. It was also noted that there was fierce local competition for experienced social workers with other authorities in the region increasingly taking steps such as offering financial incentives upon appointment and retention payments.

 

35.23  Board Members were referred to the West Sussex County Council Strategy developed in 2017 that aimed to, increase the rate of recruitment of experienced social workers, reduce the need to rely on more expensive, and less reliable agency staff and reduce staff turnover to increase the stability of the workforce.  The rate of external recruitment had increased significantly compared to before the launch of the recruitment strategy.

 

35.24  It was stated that there were clear overlaps with Adult Social Care and the need for partnership working was emphasised given that organisations were competing with each other for the same workforce. The opportunity to work with partners in Health as West Sussex County Council refined the recruitment strategies for both residential and social workers was welcomed. It was suggested that this could include looking at opportunities for joint advertising and recruitment events, and development of staff.

 

35.25  The Chairman thanked the Director of Adult Services for his presentation. 

 

35.26  The Chairman informed the Board that this concluded the presentations on the Workforce Priority Review and invited comments and questions on the information that had been received, taking particular note of any recommendations that had been put forward.   Members:

 

• commented that the question that should be asked is, ‘is this job good enough for my son or daughter?’  It was agreed that the basics had to be right for staff, providing good quality working conditions and valuing and respecting the workforce. Cultural change was cited as key so that all staff could feel a positive sense of wellbeing and as such eliminate negativity.
• agreed that the perceptions around working in Social Care needed to be eradicated and replaced with an empowered workforce who are able to earn a Living Wage.
• highlighted the need to redesign jobs making them more attractive to all working age individuals, one example was to encourage part time work at a senior level.
• emphasised the importance of the partners on the Joint Health and Wellbeing Board working together more strategically on their workforce recruitment challenges. In this way duplication of activity could be avoided.
• requested facts and figures so that Business Plans could be analysed for their rate of return and recruitment campaign success measured in terms of cost. It was strongly agreed that evidence of good value was required.
• acknowledged BREXIT (the British withdrawal from the European Union) as another possible recruitment challenge with its impact already being felt in terms of a reduction in workforce availability.
• Discussed the need to be innovative, flexible and creative in attracting a workforce. Some ideas put forward were providing accessibility of services for shift workers, provision of key worker housing, promotion of General Practice as a career choice to Medical Students, promotion of working in Social Care in Colleges/Schools as a skilled career, offer job sharing, attract those with disabilities to the workforce, offer educational and career progression opportunities. It was agreed that principles of inclusivity must be embedded within recruitment approaches and policies.  
• recognised the need to work in partnership rather than in competition to avoid duplication and costs of recruitment work.

 

35.27  The Chairman thanked Members for their input.  Adam Doyle, (Chief Executive, Central Sussex Commissioning Alliance) was invited to comment.  He emphasised the need for an overarching strategy to clearly design how partners could work together to recruit and retain staff and put forward a case for change. 

 

35.28  The Director of Public Health summed up the discussion, highlighting the opportunity to share information, explore key themes and address how the Board could work together on the workforce recruitment challenges that had been outlined.